A 'Supreme' Latina at the White House Today; Young Latinas Show Their Support

Today, President Obama hosted a celebratory gathering for the new Justice Sotomayor at the White House.  Now the first Hispanic Justice, she serves as a role model and inspiration to so many young women of all races and creeds.  For not only does she have an amazing life story, lest we forget that she is the Justice with the most experience on a federal bench in 100 years.  Lest we forget the extraordinary ability and dedication it takes to achieve the post of Editor of the Yale Law Review - an honor that has been enjoyed by a select few people, let alone Latinas. It is because Sonia Sotomayor faced so many additional obstacles and challenges, and yet she persisted down the difficult path to extraordinary achievement that she inspires great pride among citizens, among women, and among Latinas - particularly young Latinas.   

That support took an entirely new level during confirmation hearings as Justice Sotomayor was grilled on her "wise Latina" comment.  Because of her solid judicial record and the absence of "activism" found in her decisions, certain Senators had to stick to informal comments and quotes from speaking engagements to try to attack this entirely qualified nominee.  And it is this attitude that enraged some, bothered others, and inspired so many to demonstrate that they would not stand for these attacks.  In the week leading up to today's celebration, Latinas crowded rallies for Sotomayor, organized Sotomayor confirmation vote watch parties, wrote articles and opinions, and even incorporated their support into their personal lives. Here are a few images of the week: 

An active George Mason college student, Christine Gonzales, stands inspired at a Sotomayor rally, covered by the New York Times.  

A group of Latinas stand here with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton; the group has helped found the "New Latino Movement," and organized this watch party sponsored by a series of organizations, many lead by "wise Latinas," such as the Hispanic National Bar Association, LULAC, and the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C.  One of the organizers commented to the Washington Post, “Melody Gonzalez, 29, a staffer on the Hill who co-founded a grass-roots volunteer group called the New Latino Movement, milled through the crowd sporting a wide grin and a purple T-shirt printed with the words ‘Wise Latina.’ ‘Can you imagine the message this is sending to all the women of the United States?" she said. "Sonia Sotomayor is a symbol of what one can do with the power of education. That as women and as Latinas, we can aspire to the highest levels of achievement that our country has to offer.’”

And finally, a Latina bride ran for her dress at Filene's Basement running of the brides, and the way in which she chose to unite her team was around the "Wise Latina" t-shirts, shown in this clip.